Structure of side release buckle

ABSTRACT

A side release buckle includes a female buckle member that has two coupling holes axially disposed at two sides of a female buckle base thereof and two side openings transversely disposed at an outer side relative to the coupling holes, and a male buckle member that has two male coupling arms for insertion into the coupling holes of the female coupling arms, a male buckle base, and two spring arms respectively connected between the male coupling arms and two distal ends of the male buckle base, each spring arm having a buffer space and a Ω-shaped buffer arm portion connected between the associating male coupling arm and the male buckle base at an outer side of the buffer space for allowing elastic deformation of the spring arm during connection/disconnection between the male buckle member and the female buckle member, achieving the effect of low insertion (plugging) force and high extraction (deplugging) force.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to buckles and more particularly, to a side release buckle, which has the characteristics of low insertion (plugging) force and high extraction (deplugging) force.

2. Description of the Related Art

Various different buckles are known for different purposes. Conventional buckles are commonly formed of a male buckle member and a female buckle member, and intensively used in shoes, clothes, backpacks, travel bags, shoulder bags, helmets, bicycle attachments, safety belts of baby trolleys, etc., to join belt members or to adjust the tension of a strap member. Different buckles have different engagement structures and provide different functions for different purposes.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show a buckle according to the prior art. As illustrated, the buckle A is comprised of a male buckle member A1 and a female buckle member A2. The male buckle member A1 has a center guide rod A12 forwardly extending from the front side, and two spring arms A11 forwardly extending from the front side and equally spaced from the center guide rod A12 at two sides. The two spring arms A11 each have a front end terminating in a retaining block A13 that defines a barbed engagement portion A14. The female buckle member A2 has a front open side A21, a longitudinal track A22 disposed on the inside and extending to the front open side A21 on the middle, and two side holes A23 respectively cut through the two opposite lateral sidewalls thereof. The side holes A23 each define a front engagement edge A231. When in use, the center guide rod A12 and the two spring arms A11 of the male buckle member A1 are inserted into the front open side A21 of the female buckle member A2 to force the center guide rod A12 into the longitudinal track A22, and at the same time the two spring arms A11 are squeezed in direction toward the center guide rod A12 by the two opposite lateral sidewalls of the female buckle member A2. After insertion of the center guide rod A12 into the longitudinal track A22, and the spring power of the spring arms A11 of the male buckle member A1 forces the retaining blocks A13 sideways, thereby causing engagement of the barbed engagement portions A14 of the retaining blocks A13 with the respective front engagement edges A231.

The aforesaid buckle is functional, however it still has drawbacks as follows:

1. When fastening the male buckle member A1 to the female buckle member A2, the center guide rod A12 must be accurately aimed at the longitudinal track A22 to ensure accurate positioning. If the center guide rod A12 is not accurately aimed at the longitudinal track A22 when fastening the male buckle member A1 to the female buckle member A2, the spring arms A11 and the center guide rod A12 may be deformed or broken unintentionally.

2. The male buckle member A1 is fastened to/released from the female buckle member A2 by means of engaging/releasing the retaining blocks A13 of the spring arms A11 into/from the side holes A23 of the female buckle member A2. Because the spring arms A11 have the straight profiles, the spring arms A11 may be permanently deformed or damaged when fastening the male buckle member A1 to the female buckle member A2 for several times.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a buckle that eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a side release buckle, which has the characteristics of low insertion (plugging) force and high extraction (deplugging) force.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the side release buckle comprises a male buckle member and a female buckle member. The female buckle member comprises two coupling holes axially disposed at two sides of a female buckle base thereof and two side openings transversely disposed at an outer side relative to the coupling holes. The male buckle member comprises two male coupling arms for insertion into the coupling holes of the female coupling arms, a male buckle base, and two spring arms respectively connected between the male coupling arms and two distal ends of the male buckle base, each spring arm having a buffer space and a buffer arm portion connected between the associating male coupling arm and the male buckle base at an outer side of the buffer space for allowing elastic deformation of the spring arm during connection/disconnection between the male buckle member and the female buckle member, achieving the effect of low insertion (plugging) force and high extraction (deplugging) force.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the buffer arm portion of each spring arm has a Ω-shaped profile. Due to the effect of the Ω-shaped buffer arm portion and the buffer space, each spring arm is elastically inwardly deformed during mounting or dismounting of the side release buckle, and therefore, the male buckle member does not break and will not deform permanently during mounting or dismounting of the side release buckle, assuring high durability.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, the female buckle member has two sliding grooves, and each spring arm of the male buckle member has a beveled guide face and a positioning portion. When the male buckle member is inserted into the coupling holes of the female coupling arms, the beveled guide faces and the positioning portions of the spring arms are moved into the sliding grooves of the female buckle member into position, and at this time the Ω-shaped buffer arm portions are respectively positioned in between the free ends and the stop edges of the female coupling arms respectively, preventing horizontal or vertical vibration between the male buckle member and the female buckle member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a male buckle member of a side release buckle in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the side release buckle in accordance with the present invention, showing the male buckle member and the female buckle member disconnected.

FIG. 3 is a sectional top view of the side release buckle in accordance with the present invention, showing the male buckle member and the female buckle member disconnected.

FIG. 4 is a sectional top view of the side release buckle in accordance with the present invention, showing the male buckle member partially inserted into the female buckle member.

FIG. 5 is a sectional top view of the side release buckle in accordance with the present invention, showing the male buckle member and the female buckle member connected.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a side release buckle according to the prior art.

FIG. 7 is a sectional top view showing the side release buckle locked according to the prior art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1˜3, a side release buckle in accordance with the present invention is shown comprising a female buckle member 1 and a male buckle member 2.

The female buckle member 1 has a female buckle base 11, and two female coupling arms 12 respectively extended from the two distal ends of the female buckle base 11 in one direction in a substantially parallel manner and defining therebetween a space 10. The female buckle base 11 has an insertion slot 111 cut therethrough for the mounting of a belt member (not shown). The female coupling arms 12 each have a retaining portion 101 protruded from the periphery and facing the space 10, a free end 123, a coupling hole 120 axially extending through the free end 123, a side opening 121 cut through the periphery at an outer side opposite to the space 10, a stop edge 1211 at the front side of the side opening 121 that is remote from the female buckle base 11 and relatively closer to the free end 123 of the respective female coupling arm 12, and a sliding groove 122 cut through the periphery and axially extending through the free end 123 at the inner side in communication between the space 10 and the coupling hole 120.

The male buckle member 2 has a male buckle base 21, and a coupling structure 22 for securing the male buckle base 21 to the female buckle member 1. The male buckle base 21 has an insertion slot 211 cut therethrough for the mounting of a belt member (not shown). The coupling structure 22 comprises two male coupling arms 222, and two spring arms 221 respectively connected between the male coupling arms 222 and the two distal ends of the male buckle base 21. The spring arms 221 each have a sliding rail 2211 longitudinally disposed at an inner side and defining a beveled guide face 2212, a positioning portion 2213 at the rear side of the beveled guide face 2212, a Ω-shaped buffer arm portion 2215 connected between the associating male coupling arm 222 and the male buckle base 21 at an outer side, and a buffer space 2214 defined between the sliding rail 2211 and the Ω-shaped buffer arm portion 2215. The male coupling arms 222 each have an outer sloping face 2221 extending outwardly backwards toward the Ω-shaped buffer arm portion 2215 of the associating spring arm 221, and a stop edge 2222 connected between the outer sloping face 2221 and the Ω-shaped buffer arm portion 2215 of the associating spring arm 221.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 and FIGS. 1˜3 again, during installation, the male coupling arms 222 of the coupling structure 22 of the male buckle member 2 are respectively inserted into the coupling holes 120 of the female coupling arms 12 of the female buckle member 1. When inserting the male coupling arms 222 into the coupling holes 120, the outer sloping faces 2221 of the male coupling arms 222 are moved over the respective inside walls of the female coupling arms 12, causing the male coupling arms 222 to be forced inwards toward each other. When continuously forcing the male buckle member 2 forwards toward the inside of the female buckle member 1, the sliding rails 2211 are respectively moved into the sliding grooves 122 of the female coupling arms 12 in the position where the stop edges 2222 of the male coupling arms 222 are respectively forced into the side openings 121 of the female coupling arms 12 and stopped at the stop edges 1211 of the female coupling arms 12 to prohibit backward displacement of the male buckle member 2 relative to the female buckle member 1.

Referring to FIGS. 3˜5 again, during forward movement of the two spring arms 221 of the male buckle member 2 relative to the female buckle member 1, the beveled guide face 2212 and the positioning portion 2213 of the spring arms 221 are elastically deformed and forced inwards toward the longitudinal center of the male buckle member 2, and at the same time the Ω-shaped buffer arm portions 2215 and the buffer spaces 2214 are elastically deformed and forced inwards toward the longitudinal center of the male buckle member 2. Therefore, the spring arms 221 are elastically deformed to produce a buffer effect and will not break or deform permanently during insertion of the male buckle member 2 into the female buckle member 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 again, the insertion slots 111 and 211 are respectively cut through the female buckle base 11 of the female buckle member 1 and the male buckle base 21 of the male buckle member 2 in direction corresponding to the extending direction of the female coupling arms 12 and the male coupling arms 222, therefore the belts (not shown) that are respectively fastened to the insertion slots 111 and 211 are kept from sight, and the whole assembly of the side release buckle causes a sense of beauty.

As stated above, the invention provides a side release buckle that has the following features and advantages:

1. During installation of the male buckle member 2 and the female buckle member 1, the outer sloping face 2221 of each male coupling arm 222 is forced against the inside wall of the free end 123 of the respective female coupling arm 12, and therefore the spring arms 221 are forced inwards toward the center of the male buckle member 2, and the Ω-shaped buffer arm portions 2215 and the buffer spaces 2214 allow deformation of the spring arms 221 without damage. When the male buckle member 2 is inserted into the female buckle member 1 into position, the stop edges 2222 of the male coupling arms 222 are respectively engaged with the stop edges 1211 of the female coupling arms 12 to prohibit backward displacement of the male buckle member 2 relative to the female buckle member 1. When an external force stretches the male buckle member 2 or the female buckle member 1, the stretching force does not cause deformation of the Ω-shaped buffer arm portions 2215. Therefore, the side release buckle has the characteristic of low insertion (plugging) force and extraction (deplugging) force.

2. Due to the effect of the buffer spaces 2214, the Ω-shaped buffer arm portions 2215 are elastically inwardly deformed during mounting or dismounting of the side release buckle, and therefore, the spring arms 221 do not break and will not deform permanently during mounting or dismounting of the side release buckle.

3. When the coupling structure 22 of the male buckle member 2 is inserted into the coupling holes 120 of the female coupling arms 12, the beveled guide faces 2212 and the positioning portions 2213 of the spring arms 221 are moved into the sliding grooves 122 of the female coupling arms 12 into position, and at this time the Ω-shaped buffer arm portions 2215 are respectively positioned in between the free ends 123 and the stop edges 1211 of the female coupling arms 12 respectively, preventing horizontal or vertical vibration between the male buckle member 2 and the female buckle member 1.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims. 

1. A side release buckle comprising: a female buckle member, said female buckle member comprising a female buckle base, an insertion slot cut through said female buckle base for the mounting of a belt member, two coupling holes axially disposed at two sides, and two side openings transversely disposed at an outer side relative to said coupling holes, wherein said female buckle member comprises two female coupling arms respectively extending from two distal ends of said female buckle base in a parallel manner and spaced from each other by a space; said coupling holes of said female buckle member are respectively axially formed in said female coupling arms; said side openings of said female buckle member are respectively formed on said female coupling arms at an outer side and disposed in communication with said coupling holes; and a male buckle member, said male buckle member comprising a male buckle base, an insertion slot cut through said male buckle base, two male coupling arms for insertion into said coupling holes of said female coupling arms to engage said side openings of said female coupling arms respectively, and two spring arms respectively connected between said male coupling arms and two distal ends of said male buckle base, said spring arms each having a buffer space and a buffer arm portion connected between said associating male coupling arm and said male buckle base at an outer side of said buffer space.
 2. The side release buckle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said buffer arm portion has a Ω-shaped profile.
 3. The side release buckle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said spring arms of said male buckle member each comprise a sliding rail longitudinally disposed at an inner side and defining a beveled guide face, and a positioning portion disposed at a rear side of said beveled guide face of said sliding rail.
 4. The side release buckle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said male coupling arms of said male buckle member each have an outer sloping face. 5 (canceled)
 6. The side release buckle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said female coupling arms of said female buckle member each comprise a sliding groove axially extending to the respective front end at an inner side for guiding said male coupling arms and said spring arms of said male buckle member into said coupling holes of said female buckle member.
 7. The side release buckle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said female coupling arms of said female buckle member each have a stop edge at a front side of said respective side opening; said male buckle member comprises two stop edges respectively connected between said male coupling arms and said spring arms for engagement with said stop edges of said female coupling arms of said female buckle member after insertion of said male coupling arms into said coupling holes of said female coupling arms. 